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Neuroscientists are not the only ones to see empathy  or its absence  everywhere these days. According to Barack Obama, the "empathy deficit" is a more pressing political problem for America than the federal deficit and holds the key to the success of his second term as he seeks to build bridges with Republicans and tackle the wave of horrific shootings that last year disfigured American communities from Colorado to Connecticut. On this side of the Atlantic, meanwhile, George Osborne's enthusiasm for welfare cuts is explained by the coalition cabinet's "lack of empathy" for the poor.
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Recent years have somehow shown me just how ineffective politicians are in changing anything. They talk a lot but do very little and what they actually do usually doesn't seem to take effect for a decade or so. Obama talks a good game (when he has had a positive press spin before hand, at least) but is dishonest and has his own priorities that seem to take his attention away from his public policies. As for Osbourne? The guy is a prat, plain and simple, and so detached from the public forum that he'll never understand how to reach people and estimate their needs. Most of his peers, regardless of their party, are the exact same.

What's worse, however, is that people don't care. In America its all partisan. "I believe in this, you believe in that so fuck you" as opposed to "I generally believe in this but THAT might be more sensible in this instance" which is far more sensible. So straight away there is a lack of empathy in public debate and, therefore, a growth in apathy in society. Over here there's just nothing but a general agreement that MPs, bankers and [INSERT RECENT GROUP OF BASTARDS HERE] are greedy, corrupt twats - although we have done nothing about this - and life goes on until the country slowly runs out of money and we are forced into some kind of lazy revolution that won't really fix anything.

Recent years have somehow shown me just how ineffective politicians are in changing anything. They talk a lot but do very little and what they actually do usually doesn't seem to take effect for a decade or so. Obama talks a good game (when he has had a positive press spin before hand, at least) but is dishonest and has his own priorities that seem to take his attention away from his public policies. As for Osbourne? The guy is a prat, plain and simple, and so detached from the public forum that he'll never understand how to reach people and estimate their needs. Most of his peers, regardless of their party, are the exact same.

What's worse, however, is that people don't care. In America its all partisan. "I believe in this, you believe in that so fuck you" as opposed to "I generally believe in this but THAT might be more sensible in this instance" which is far more sensible. So straight away there is a lack of empathy in public debate and, therefore, a growth in apathy in society. Over here there's just nothing but a general agreement that MPs, bankers and [INSERT RECENT GROUP OF BASTARDS HERE] are greedy, corrupt twats - although we have done nothing about this - and life goes on until the country slowly runs out of money and we are forced into some kind of lazy revolution that won't really fix anything.

Indeed, not sure if you may have seen the adverts for the upcoming programme about Brits on the piss in Kavos (channel 4?), well it used to be just about going on the piss but the advert starts with a young lass saying something along the lines of "our generation have it so hard so we just need to go on the piss", obviously things are only going to get worse when the generation that havent yet contributed to anything are pulling out the excuses.

Sick to the fucking teeth with the Oxfam adverts, how much money has to be thrown at Africa before it gets written off as a lost cause/Earths dustbin.

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A while back I was doing some work as an agency driver at an Oxfam depot. What I found amusing was the amount of 'volunteers' working in the warehouse who were of African birth, who were only there because they'd been given community service as the first thing they did on reaching these shores after being given loads of Oxfam money was turn to crime.

You know it will unfold that way. They'll wait until they are absolutely fucked and unable to buy bread for any less than a tenner then meander into the streets (or onto facebook) and start talking about the shocking state of affairs that is the UK government. They really should have began to do that five years ago, though.

As for Dollsteeth's point about the lassy discussing 'our generation having a hard time', I fully agree with him. It's only going to get worse. People are clueless nowadays. For the majority of young idiots (and I am one) there are more important things to be concerned about than what the government's doing.